India’s cumin exports poised to fall on weak China demand
India’s cumin (jeera) exports are headed for a decline this fiscal on weak demand from key buyers such as China and Bangladesh. A good domestic crop in China has lead to a weak demand for Indian cumin, while exporters are largely staying away from Bangladesh due to political instability, trade sources said.
“China has had a good crop this year, and their cumin is $200-250 tonne cheaper than the Indian price. They have no incentive to buy from us,” said Yogesh Mehta, Trustee – Federation of Indian Spice Stakeholders (FISS), a trade body.
China, typically the largest buyer of Indian cumin, has significantly pulled back due to the strong domestic harvest. China has not imported more than 10,000 tonnes this year and this has impacted our overall exports, said Mehta, CEO and Founder of SpicExim.
Further, the shipments to Bangladesh have also slowed down as exporters are not keen to take risk over the political instability, Mehta, a veteran spice exporter.
May impact sowing
Per the Spices Board data, cumin shipments till August were down by about a sixth over the corresponding period a year ago. India’s cumin exports during the April-August period of the current financial year were down 17 per cent in volume at 92,810 tonnes over 1,11,532 tonnes a year ago. In value terms, cumin shipments were down at $257.10 million against $367.57 million a year ago.
Mehta expects that overall cumin shipments this fiscal will be lower by about 15-20 per cent this year due to weak demand, resulting in higher carry forward stocks, a development that could influence the sowing pattern, especially in Gujarat.
Ramkumar Menon, Chairman, World Spice Organisation, said shipments of cumin had turned sluggish due to weak demand. “I feel it will pick up next year and a lot would depend on the planting and effect on price. A clearer picture would emerge by January,” he said.
India’s cumin exports stood at over 2.29 lakh tonnes during 2024-25 valued at $732 million. China, the largest buyer, had purchased some 38720 tonnes valued at $115.28 million during the year.
Published on November 29, 2025
